Jeremy Jernigan Posts

As I’ve previously written and communicated about, many of my specific theological understandings have shifted over the years. I don’t mean the comparison of my views from today with my views as a third grader when I decided to choose baptism for myself. Those are understandingly not only different in content, but different in scope. What I particularly mean is those views I formed at college or after, and then decided after further study I didn’t see them that way anymore.

If I thought about this as a politician, I appear to be “flip-flopping,” a sure sign I don’t know what I think or can’t be trusted to say what I really mean. In fact many Christians look at this and claim that my faith is somehow broken or incomplete if it contains doubts such as these. Why can’t I just be certain I’m right like they are?

I recently finished Peter Rollins latest book, The Divine Magician. Like all of his books, this one challenges the status quo and asks deeper questions to arrive at a more substantial faith at the end. His method of doing this through the three parts of a magic trick is creatively engaging. He unpacks the elements of the Pledge, the Turn, and the Prestige, and makes connections to Biblical faith with each. While the book tends to go into philosophical wonderland at times, my favorite part of reading Peter Rollins is not that I agree with all his answers, but rather that I appreciate the way he causes me to ask new questions.

Here’s a message I did at Woodland Hills Church last weekend. Below is the summary they posted about it on their website:

Jeremy discusses other-centeredness and how our worldly definition of success differs from the Kingdom definition. He starts by examining the moment of clarity that we get when we “see fire,” or when emergencies arise – do we put on our own oxygen mask first, or do we take care of those around us first, at our own possible peril? The world (and airline safety speeches) tell us to take care of ourselves first, and only after that to worry about those around you. But Jesus tells us something different.

I recently finished reading a book on the history of Saturday Night Live. It’s called Live From New York and walks through the creation and evolution of the show. The book is longer than I realized and also proved tougher to read. That’s because it’s quote after quote from different people. While it’s tricky to get into the flow of reading it, taken together it provides loads of behind-the-scenes perspective into a cultural icon.

My favorite quote:

“When I came here Lorne told me, ‘We don’t go on the air because the show’s ready, we go on because it’s eleven-thirty.'” Darrell Hammond

That’s an incredibly profound look into the creative process. At some point it’s got to go out. Anyone who has ever tried to produce something knows this tension.

After receiving two separate recommendations for Nabeel Qureshi’s book Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus, I figured it was finally time to read it. I’m glad I did. Nabeel tells his story of growing up as a devout Muslim and his journey with the God of the Bible.

The book follows the journey of Nabeel’s friendship with a Christian named David. You learn early on that these two guys are smarter than most, and their conversations have a deep foundation in apologetics. Both men are rooted in their beliefs and eager to show the other the error of his ways. It is in the context of this friendship that Nabeel is able to see his Muslim faith in a new light.

He sheds light into many aspects of Islam that the typical person may not understand. As one example, Nabeel says,